Why Humility is the key to Self-Confidence in Martial Arts

We all have moments where we brag. We boast and jeer, and we have a little dance that time we win that really significant match. And sure, celebration is fine. It is a natural response and you shouldn’t stop doing it any time soon. However, a pinch of humility goes a long way, and for many trainers and masters out there, to be humble means you’ll be so much better at Martial Arts in the long run. Only boasters and braggers move to entertainment wrestling, because there everybody is fake.

For many trainers, a black belt in humility is almost more important than the black belt itself. But being humble is a very fine line. To be able to balance self-confidence and creativity without coming across as boastful can be one of the hardest things to do. Winning a fight without pounding your chest or jeering to the crowd can be hard, we get it. But when it comes to being humble, As long as you are focused on doing good for others, even if you stumble into amazing opportunities, you can be sure that your humility is intact.

To achieve this, you must put others ahead of yourself, especially in your martial arts practice. Having other people’s best interest at heart is essential, and that doesn’t necessarily decrease your chances for success, but in fact, enables them through your true and genuine approach.

When training, if you are not humble and open to advice and new lessons, then you’ll be lost in no time. Sadly, some trainers spend not enough time on the subject of taming that Ego, so we must do it ourselves. You can be rich, strong, special, or brave, and still be humble It is more about imparting respect to others in your martial art, and in your life.

Having the humility to allow your training partners to take you down the same amount of times you stuff their takedown or having the humility to allow your partner to get that good punch to the face in without the immediate urge to retaliate, is the sign of an advanced student. If you want to be that student, who is advanced, skilled and ready for anything, then humility is where it all begins.

Only insecure fighters feel that they need to show off every time they win. Sadly, a few of them have made it to the top ranks of martial arts (we’re looking at you UFC champions), and for some of those people, it is all just a show. A double bluff. A humble person pretending to let his Ego take over to get better TV ratings and eventually earn more cash.

Maybe some of you think this is flawed. Maybe you take the Trump mentality that a strong, powerful and boisterous attitude is the only one that sees you get to the top. But in reality, and especially in martial arts, only the opposite of that is true. If you can enter the ring with great skills, amazing conditioning and the sharpest of mind, alongside humility and grace, you’ll be unstoppable.